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Joe Espada Confirms Altuve Will Open Season As Primary Left Fielder

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The Astros will keep Jose Altuve in left field to begin the season, manager Joe Espada told the beat on Wednesday (links via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). Espada said the plan is for Altuve to play “most of his games” in left, though he noted that could change depending on how things play out during the season.

It’s the finalization of what had become clear throughout camp. Altuve has started 10 games in left against one at second base (and one at designated hitter) this spring. It’s been understandably rocky. Altuve dropped easy fly balls in each of the last two games. He has three errors compared to 13 putouts. Altuve told reporters that his most recent misplays, each of which came with a runner on third, have come as he’s attempted to rush throws home.

“I’m really happy that I got two more fly balls today after I missed that one and I was able to make those plays and just move on,” he said. “Just move on. I’ve been in tough situations before, and I’ve overcome that. I’m ready to go out there and play good left field. I promise I’m going to keep working hard and be a great left fielder.”

Altuve’s start in left field on Opening Day will be his first in the big leagues at any position other than second base. He’ll likely occasionally slide back to his old position on days when Yordan Alvarez draws into the outfield. Espada has said he hopes to keep Alvarez at DH more frequently than he has in previous years. Mauricio Dubón should get the majority of second base work.

One potential factor for the corner outfield mix: Cam Smith. Houston has left the door open for the prospect in the Kyle Tucker trade to break camp in his first full professional season. The 22-year-old has torn the cover off the ball this spring. He took A.J. Minter deep for his fourth homer of the spring during tonight’s game. Smith is hitting .419 with an OPS pushing 1.400 in 13 exhibition games. The Astros have begun getting the collegiate third baseman reps in right field, where he has 25 innings.

It’s not a sign that Smith is moving off his natural position. He has played 41 innings over eight games at third base. Still, with Isaac Paredes positioned for the majority of the third base work, Smith’s best short-term path to MLB work might be in the outfield. That’d probably be at the expense of projected right fielder Chas McCormick, but it’s feasible that he could get some work in left field as well — especially if McCormick rebounds from his rough ’24 season.

D-Backs Have Received Recent Trade Interest In Jordan Montgomery

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The Diamondbacks have received recent trade interest from a couple teams in Jordan Montgomery, reports John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM in Phoenix. There’s no indication that a pre-Opening Day deal is likely, but it’s notable those conversations have continued with the regular season eight days away.

As has been the case all offseason, the contract is the big impediment. Montgomery will play this year on a $22.5MM salary. That’s a sum no team was going to take in full. It’s especially difficult to offload a significant portion of the money at this point. Most teams have neared or reached the payroll at which they’re willing to spend before the season.

That’s reflected in the comparatively low costs of free agent starting pitching. Jose Quintana and Andrew Heaney — both of whom are coming off better seasons than Montgomery just had — signed one-year deals worth less than $6MM after camp opened. Kyle Gibson, Spencer Turnbull and Lance Lynn remain unsigned and are presumably looking at even lesser guarantees. It makes a Spring Training deal difficult to pull off. Other teams would presumably want Arizona to pay Montgomery’s contract down to a few million dollars while accepting a middling return.

The Diamondbacks haven’t shown that level of desperation to deal the veteran lefty, though they’d clearly welcome an opportunity to make a move. Montgomery pitched his way out of last year’s rotation. He finished the year with a 6.23 earned run average over 117 innings. His strikeout rate fell from roughly league average to a career-worst 15.6% clip.

Things weren’t quite so bleak on a per-pitch basis. Montgomery got whiffs on 12.3% of his offerings, which is in line with his career average. He’d posted three consecutive sub-4.00 ERA showings with solid peripherals between 2021-23. Montgomery didn’t sign until Opening Day last year after a frustrating free agent sequence, presumably leading to some level of rust. The context provides hope he can at least recapture back-of-the-rotation form, but he won’t have a path to the Opening Day rotation in the desert.

Arizona added Corbin Burnes to a staff that already included Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt. Righty Ryne Nelson might be pushed to Triple-A to begin the season. Nelson had a 3.23 ERA in the second half last season. The Snakes stuck with him in the rotation down the stretch while pushing Montgomery to the bullpen. Even if he begins the season in the minors, Nelson will probably be the first choice if any of Arizona’s top five starters suffer an injury. Montgomery has more than enough service time to refuse a minor league assignment, so he’s likely to work in long relief if he begins the season with the Diamondbacks.

The 32-year-old southpaw would presumably welcome a trade that gives him a clearer path back to rotation work. Montgomery will be a free agent next offseason. His future earning power will be greater if he pitches well as a starter rather than spending most or all of the season in low-leverage relief. Arizona owner Ken Kendrick was also publicly critical of the signing last fall, saying it was “a horrible decision to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did.” (Kendrick directed the criticism for the move at himself rather than the front office, saying he pushed GM Mike Hazen to pursue the deal.)

Montgomery has only taken the ball twice this spring. His first start couldn’t have gone much worse. The Reds blitzed him for five runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. He recorded only one out. Montgomery pitched much more effectively this afternoon, working 2 2/3 scoreless frames with a couple strikeouts against the Rockies.

Red Sox Option Vaughn Grissom

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The Red Sox announced this afternoon that they’ve optioned infielder Vaughn Grissom and pitchers Luis Guerrero and Josh Winckowski to minor league camp. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel first reported the Grissom move. Boston also reassigned non-roster invitees Nathan Hickey and Mark Kolozsvary.

Grissom entered spring in the mix for Boston’s Opening Day second base job. He and David Hamilton were trying to hold off top middle infield prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer. The Alex Bregman signing muddled the picture, but it seems the Sox intend to keep the longtime third baseman at the hot corner.

Bregman hasn’t played any second base this spring. Manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Chad Jennings of The Athletic) that the Sox don’t intend to get Rafael Devers any third base reps in camp. With Masataka Yoshida expected to open the season on the injured list, Devers will probably start the year as a full-time designated hitter while Bregman handles third.

Acquired from the Braves for Chris Sale in the 2023-24 offseason, Grissom had a rough first year with the Sox. He missed time with strains in both hamstrings and didn’t hit when healthy. He managed a .190/.246/.219 slash without a home run in 114 MLB plate appearances. Hamilton jumped him for the majority of the second base playing time down the stretch. Grissom spent a good chunk of the year at Triple-A Worcester.

A healthy offseason provided some hope that the 24-year-old would recapture the promising offensive form he has shown in the minors. He didn’t show much in camp, though, as he hit .176 without a homer in 14 games. He’s no longer in the running for a spot on the Opening Day roster. He’ll begin the year back in Worcester. Grissom has an excellent .307/.408/.459 slash in nearly 700 Triple-A plate appearances over the last two seasons. His plate discipline still makes him an intriguing player, but he has dropped down the organization’s middle infield depth chart.

Hamilton, Campbell and Mayer remain on the major league side of camp. The lefty-swinging Hamilton is the only member of that trio who is on the 40-man roster or has MLB experience. He hit .248/.303/.395 with eight homers and 33 stolen bases over 98 games last season. He has swiped five more bases with a pair of homers while batting .239 over 18 games this spring.

Mayer and Campbell are generally ranked among the top prospects in the sport. Mayer, who hasn’t played in Triple-A, hit .307/.370/.480 over 335 Double-A plate appearances last season. He’s hitting .357/.438/.536 in an impressive spring showing. Mayer has never played second base in the minors — all but two of his appearances have come at shortstop — but he’s getting reps on the right side of the bag in camp. Trevor Story is locked in at shortstop, so it makes sense to get Mayer reps at other positions.

Campbell is primarily a second baseman who has experience in the outfield and at third base. He improved his stock more than any other minor leaguer last season. The 2023 fourth-rounder hit .330/.439/.558 to reach Triple-A in his first full professional season. He has had a tough Spring Training. Campbell has fanned in a third of his plate appearances while batting .158 in 45 plate appearances. While that doesn’t mean much for his prospect status, it’s something the Sox will need to weigh as they decide whether he should break camp.

Giants Sell 10% Ownership Stake To Private Equity Firm

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The Giants sold a 10% ownership stake in the franchise to the private equity firm Sixth Street this week, as first reported by Ken Belson and Lauren Hirsch of The New York Times. The team did not confirm the specific share that it sold but announced what it called a “strategic partnership” with the firm on Tuesday.

Financial terms remain unreported. Team president/CEO Larry Baer said in a statement that the deal “allows (the Giants) to further strengthen our franchise on the field and in the community.” The New York Times writes that the Giants intend to use the money for improvements to Oracle Park and the Mission Rock mixed-use development surrounding the stadium, as well as the team’s Spring Training complex in Scottsdale.

Baer downplayed the possibility that the sale would have an impact on the team’s player payroll. “This is not about a stockpile for the next Aaron Judge (a former free agent target),” Baer told The New York Times. “This is about improvements to the ballpark, making big bets on San Francisco and the community around us, and having the firepower to take us into the next generation.“

Dodgers Select Matt Sauer

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The Dodgers announced they’ve selected reliever Matt Sauer onto the big league roster before Wednesday’s matchup with the Cubs at the Tokyo Dome. They optioned left-hander Justin Wrobleski in a corresponding move. Clayton Kershaw was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Sauer returns to the majors after signing a minor league deal over the winter. A former second-round pick by the Yankees, he never pitched in the big leagues with New York. The Royals grabbed him in the 2023-24 Rule 5 draft. They carried him on the big league roster for the first couple months. Sauer had a tough time in his first look at major league hitters. He gave up 14 runs across 16 1/3 innings, issuing 11 walks while recording nine strikeouts.

As Kansas City cemented themselves as surprise playoff contenders, they decided they could no longer devote a bullpen spot to a developmental flier. They offered Sauer back to the Yankees in May. New York initially assigned him to Triple-A, but he was blitzed for 15 runs over just 8 1/3 innings in 10 appearances. He found his footing after being demoted to Double-A in July. Sauer closed the year with 24 frames of 2.63 ERA ball before reaching minor league free agency.

The 26-year-old righty took the ball four times this spring. He allowed seven runs over 7 2/3 innings. Sauer recorded eight strikeouts while issuing one walk in that limited sample. His stuff impressed the Dodgers enough that they brought him to Tokyo as part of their travel roster and will carry him on the MLB team for the time being.

Kershaw is rehabbing from surgery to remove a bone spur on his left big toe. He said at the beginning of camp that he would go on the 60-day IL once the Dodgers needed to create a roster spot. He’ll be out through at least the end of May.

Brewers To Keep Turang At Second Base, Play Ortiz At Shortstop

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The Brewers have settled on their middle infield alignment. Manager Pat Murphy told reporters (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com) that the Brewers will keep Brice Turang at second base while moving Joey Ortiz to shortstop.

It’s a change from where the team was leaning late last week. Murphy said a few days ago that they were strongly considering bumping Turang up the defensive spectrum while playing Ortiz at second. Turang subsequently reported minor shoulder soreness. The Brewers sent him for an MRI, which came back clean. It’s not expected to impact his readiness for Opening Day, but the club understandably doesn’t want to push things by having him take the longer throws from the left side of the diamond.

“I think Joey’s more than capable, and we were really splitting hairs when we flipped (to Turang at shortstop),” Murphy explained. It had seemed back-and-forth throughout camp. That’s the luxury of having two top-tier defensive infielders even after Willy Adames’ free agent departure. Turang is coming off a Gold Glove and Platinum Glove winning season at second base. Ortiz tied Matt Chapman for the league lead in Outs Above Average at third base. Both players were viewed as potential plus shortstops while coming through the minor leagues.

The Ortiz-Turang pairing should remain one of the best defensive middle infield duos in the majors. They’ll need someone to step up at third base with Ortiz moving over. Oliver Dunn, who hit .221/.282/.316 in his first 41 MLB games last season, has had an excellent spring and will probably get the first look. He has dramatically outplayed Caleb Durbin and Tyler Black in camp. The out-of-options Vinny Capra has had a fantastic Spring Training. That gives him a strong chance to stick on the active roster — especially if Milwaukee options Durbin and/or Black — but Capra’s minor league numbers suggest he’s better suited in a utility role.

Orioles Option Coby Mayo To Minor League Camp

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that they’ve optioned top infield prospect Coby Mayo to minor league camp. He’ll open the season at Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore also reassigned non-roster invitees Samuel Basallo, Daz Cameron, Nick Gordon, Corbin Martin, Levi Stoudt and Thaddeus Ward to minor league camp.

Mayo, 23, has played parts of two seasons in Triple-A. He’s a .279/.376/.543 hitter in 151 career games at that level. He expressed some disappointment with the move. “It obviously sucks because you feel like you’ve proven everything you’ve needed to (in the minors),” he told reporters (including Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner). “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough. Obviously, you go back there and if you have success, it’s ’oh he’s supposed to have success because he’s already proven it,’ and if he doesn’t have success, it’s ’well obviously he’s fallen off.’ It’s kind of a lose-lose going to Norfolk.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said the move is a testament to Baltimore’s infield depth. “Good teams option players that they like,” Hyde said (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Banner). “More reps at Triple-A, we feel like that’s what he needs right now.”

While it’s understandable that Mayo feels he doesn’t have much more to show against minor league pitching, the Orioles weren’t likely to carry him on the Opening Day roster. He appeared in 17 major league games last season, hitting .098 while striking out 22 times in 46 plate appearances. He had a similarly poor camp, batting .190 with 13 strikeouts and no homers over 46 trips to the dish.

Mayo drilled 22 homers in 89 Triple-A contests last year. He has huge power and draws plenty of walks. There’ll be a lot of strikeouts, but Mayo has a shot to hit in the middle of the lineup at his peak. The O’s aren’t going to want him sitting on the MLB bench. Ramón Urías and (once healthy) Jorge Mateo are better fits for utility roles. Mayo isn’t going to play over Jordan Westburg at third base. The O’s have Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn and backup catcher Gary Sánchez lined up for the majority of reps between first base and designated hitter. Mayo could theoretically push Mountcastle for playing time at first base, but the latter is an established above-average hitter who is having a monster spring.

The infield depth has made Mayo the subject of some trade speculation, but it’s rare for teams to deal away prospects of that caliber. He still has two option years remaining (including this one), so there’s no pressing roster consideration. O’Hearn and Sánchez will be free agents next offseason. Mountcastle has two seasons of arbitration control remaining. There should be a clearer path for Mayo (and Basallo) to break camp in 2026. For now, it’ll probably require injuries to players above him on the depth chart to get everyday reps in the big leagues.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels

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The Angels were the most active team in the first few weeks of the offseason. They added a mid-rotation starter and a new designated hitter to upgrade the middle third of the lineup. They went oddly quiet after that, leaving them to enter the season with a roster that again seems too thin to hang in the race all year.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $47.25MM
Total spending: $95.25MM

Option Decisions

  • None

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

The Angels finished 63-99 under first-year manager Ron Washington, narrowly avoiding what would have been their first 100-loss campaign. Only the White Sox, Rockies and Marlins had a worse run differential. They have the longest active playoff drought in MLB at 10 years.

Shortly after the season ended, owner Arte Moreno told Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register that he expected to compete for a playoff spot in 2025. "(General manager Perry Minasian's) marching orders are we need to build a team that can compete for a playoff spot. When you get to playoffs, anything can happen," Moreno said. The owner indicated he was prepared to raise payroll to make that happen. The Angels had cut spending by more than $40MM over the 2023-24 offseason.

Expecting to add 20+ wins within one offseason, even with a payroll spike, is unrealistic. Still, the Angels began the winter with a sense of urgency that reflected a real desire to improve in the short term. They pulled off the first major trade of the offseason within hours of the World Series concluding. The Angels took the remaining two years and $26MM on Jorge Soler's contract off the Braves' hands. Los Angeles sent Griffin Canning, whom they were presumably planning to non-tender, the other way. Atlanta subsequently cut Canning themselves, confirming that was purely a salary dump on their part.

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Braves, James McCann Agree To Minor League Deal

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March 18: McCann’s deal would pay him a $1MM base in the majors, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney.

March 17: The Braves are in agreement with veteran catcher James McCann on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Atlanta released Curt Casali from his minor league deal and reassigned Sandy León to minor league camp this afternoon. McCann is represented by the Ballengee Group.

McCann, 34, provides veteran insurance with Sean Murphy ticketed for the injured list to begin the season. Murphy and expected backup Chadwick Tromp are the only catchers on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. They’ll need to add someone else by the start of the regular season. Removing Casali and León from the mix made it seem inevitable that top prospect Drake Baldwin would get the Opening Day assignment. That still seems highly likely. McCann hasn’t had any game reps and Spring Training ends in one week. Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes that the plan is for the veteran to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

The righty-swinging McCann has spent the last two seasons backing up Adley Rutschman in Baltimore. He hit .228/.274/.382 in a combined 134 games. He has a bit of power but isn’t going to provide much from an on-base perspective. McCann is highly respected for his leadership and work with pitching staffs. He ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of arm strength and throwing out attempted basestealers. He has never graded well by public pitch framing metrics, while Statcast has graded him a little below average at blocking balls in the dirt.

Baldwin has had a big Spring Training. He’s hitting .333 with six walks and two strikeouts in 13 exhibition games. The former third-round pick combined for a .270/.384/.460 batting line between the top two minor league levels last season. He clearly has more offensive upside than McCann or Tromp bring to the table. That said, plenty of top prospects struggle in their first look at major league pitching. If Baldwin’s career gets out to a tough start, McCann could step in as the starter until Murphy returns from a broken rib. McCann has far more experience as a primary catcher than Tromp does.

Cubs Promote Matt Shaw

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The Cubs announced their roster for Tuesday night’s season opener against the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome (relayed by Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network). As expected, Chicago officially promoted top third base prospect Matt Shaw. They designated reliever Keegan Thompson for assignment to clear the necessary 40-man roster spot. That move was foreshadowed when they left the out-of-options righty off their travel roster last week. Chicago also placed righty Javier Assad on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain.

Shaw’s promotion, while telegraphed once the Cubs announced he’d travel with the team to Tokyo, is the most significant of these transactions. The 23-year-old infielder figures to start at third base against Dodgers righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto in what’ll be his major league debut. It was a quick rise through the minors for the Maryland product. The Cubs drafted him 13th overall in 2023. Shaw hit .357 in 38 games in the low minors during his draft year. He continued to rake upon making the move to Double-A to start the ’24 campaign.

The righty-hitting infielder played in 86 games at the Double-A level. He hit .279/.373/.468 to earn a promotion to Triple-A Iowa in August. He performed even better at the top minor league level, closing the year with a .298/.395/.534 slash with seven homers across 35 contests. The Cubs cleared a path for him to take over the hot corner when they dealt Isaac Paredes to Houston as part of the Kyle Tucker blockbuster.

Chicago made a late-offseason push for Alex Bregman as a short-term deal became a legitimate possibility. Once Bregman agreed to terms with the Red Sox on a three-year contract, the hot corner became Shaw’s job to lose. While six exhibition games weren’t likely to move the needle one way or the other, he didn’t hurt his case by collecting five hits and three walks with only one strikeout in 19 Spring Training plate appearances.

Shaw is the consensus choice as the top prospect in a strong Cubs system. He ranks among the top 50 prospects in the sport at each of Baseball America, FanGraphs (Eric Longenhagen), MLB Pipeline, ESPN (Kiley McDaniel), and The Athletic (Keith Law). The various scouting reports project Shaw as a potential 25-homer bat with the ability to hit for a high average, though McDaniel and Longenhagen each express minor concern with his propensity for chasing sliders on the outer half. Shaw is regarded as a plus runner who should be capable of sticking on the infield.

A middle infielder by trade, Shaw will play mostly third base with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner having the middle infield secured. Hoerner did not travel to Tokyo as he finishes his rehab from October flexor tendon surgery. The Cubs have maintained hope that Hoerner will be ready for next Thursday’s domestic Opening Day. Jon Berti seems the likeliest option to start these two games in his place.

Shaw easily qualifies for the prospect criterion (on at least two of the preseason Top 100 lists at Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and ESPN) of the CBA’s Prospect Promotion Incentive. Assuming he sticks on the Cubs’ roster for a full service year, the team would receive an extra draft choice after the first round if Shaw either wins Rookie of the Year or finishes top three in MVP balloting within his first three seasons. Shaw will be under club control through 2030 and will qualify for arbitration during the 2027-28 offseason if he holds his active roster spot. If he struggles and the Cubs option him back to the minors, that could obviously change his free agent trajectory.

While Shaw is the higher-profile rookie, he’s not the only Cub infielder in line to make his MLB debut. Rule 5 pick Gage Workman also made the Opening Day roster. Chicago grabbed the left-handed hitter out of the Detroit system in December. A fourth-round pick out of Arizona State in 2020, Workman is coming off .280/.366/.476 slash with 18 homers and 30 stolen bases in Double-A. He has never played at the top minor league level.

Workman couldn’t have done much more in camp to force the Cubs to hang onto him. He drilled three homers, stole as many bases, and hit .424 in 15 Spring Training games. Workman has an intriguing combination of power and athleticism. He’s a capable defender on the left side of the infield. The question is whether he’ll make enough contact to stick on the MLB roster. Workman fanned at a 27.5% clip last season and has a career 32.9% strikeout rate.

Teams must keep Rule 5 draftees on the MLB roster or injured list for the entire season to retain their long-term contractual rights. They’d otherwise need to be placed on waivers and, if unclaimed, be offered back to their original organization. The Cubs have Berti, Workman, Justin Turner and the out-of-options Vidal Bruján working off the bench. They probably won’t be able to roster all four players once Hoerner is healthy, but they’re each on the team for the two-game set in Tokyo.

Image courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images.

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